As a rider with a history of destroying the ‘stiff’ soles of cycling shoes, I’m happy to confirm that those of the DMT Prisma 2.0 have easily supported my size 49 feet over months of riding that have included two of the toughest sportives on the calendar.
These shoes, the top of a comprehensive range from the Italian supplier to world road race champion, Philippe Gilbert (Fast Phil’s are finished in Belgian national colours, naturally), helped me conquer the cobbles of the Ronde van Vlaanderen cyclo, and the Tour of Wessex.
It’s fair to say they’re as bright now as when they came out of the box (perhaps an acquired taste for some) and have worked remarkably well. How so? Let’s take a closer look at some of the details.
Our first task was to place the heat-moldable insoles in the oven as advised, and to heat them for the appropriate time until pliable. Once shaped, we placed them back into the shoes, and began the process of moulding the insole to the foot.
The sole is made from nine layers of 40-tonne high modulus carbon fibre (Toray MR60 to be exact), oriented at three different angles (0, 45, and 90 degrees) to ensure rigidity, and intended to remain rigid and responsive under all kinds of pressure.
At size 49, I’m outside or just on the outer limits of most road shoe manufacturers, but DMT provide a broad range, from 37 all the way up to 50 (UK sizes 4.5 to 14) – great news for the ‘flippers’ among us.
One of the challenges of being vertically enhanced (yes, tall) is the larger feet and, well, I’m on the heavier side too. Put simply, my cycling shoes are placed under a considerable amount of pressure through the sole. Stiffness and strength for me are crucial.
The Prisma sole is very stiff and immediately noticeable in the transfer of power to crank, particularly when riding out of the saddle. Flex in the downstroke and shift of foot position in the upstroke were both negligible. The Atop closure system (more of which below) and heel cup combined comfortably to prevent heel lift.
The supple upper provided a comfortable fit, even on longer rides, and was well ventilated – great for hot days, but winter shoes they are not. That said, they breathed very well when worn beneath overshoes.
The Atop closure system draws the soft Microtex and mesh upper together with a simple rotor mechanism, one released by turning in the opposite direction. I’d say it worked well, though I struggled to get the perfect fit around the toes, which resulted in numbness occasionally. Re-moulding the insoles, however, alleviated this.
To conclude, we were impressed by the stiffness of the sole, and the quality of the fit offered by the ATOP closure mechanism and the heat moldable insole, whose only drawback was a little difficulty in finding a perfect fit around the toes. The flamboyant look could be considered a pro or a con, depending on your taste. It also comes in white and silver, a black and fluro green ‘team edition’ and the Philippe Gilbert colour scheme: white with red, black, and yellow detailing.
Website: DMT
UK distributor: Paligap
Sizes: UK 4.5 to 14
Price: £235
